


Emerald Tears

by AmayaNoCho



Series: The Emerald and the Panther [2]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, F/M, Gangs, Gunplay, Head Injury, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Loss of Virginity, Moving Out, Past Character Death, Pregnancy, Sex, Vaginal Sex, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-19
Updated: 2015-10-15
Packaged: 2018-04-05 04:47:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 13,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4166460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmayaNoCho/pseuds/AmayaNoCho
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After everything that had happened with Lobos, Ulquiorra makes the decision to move out and not just live with Grimmjow, but to join his gang, too. <br/>Little does she know that Aizen isn't going to remain her only concern, however, as she sees a familiar and should-be-dead face and learns about things she will regret and things she will rejoice. </p><p>Sequel to The Emerald and the Panther.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo, not me.   
> This story was typed by me, however.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Ulquiorra?"  
"I've had a lot of time to think it over, Mother. I know this is what I want to do." 

"'Ey, no worries!" Grimmjow grinned. "I'll take care a 'er!" Ulquiorra's mother gave a worried smile, trying her best not to get too upset. She stood in the doorway of their home, watching the two before her. Ulquiorra had only recently been released from the hospital, yet she was so determined to do this that she was already packed and ready to leave with the man who now stood beside her, holding a suitcase and a couple of bags for Ulquiorra while she, too, held a few. 

Ulquiorra had made up her mind to move out to live with Grimmjow and join Panteras. With Aizen still alive, there was no doubt in her or Grimmjow's mind that he might come after her, and so staying home would only endanger her parents and make it more difficult for Grimmjow to keep a protective eye on her. He had made sure to visit her each day while she was in the hospital, though it wasn't just to make sure she was still there, but also because the two were a couple since the day he had brought her back home. It had been a month now since he had returned her to the hospital. 

"Do try to call," her mother insisted, "at least once or twice a week."  
"I will, Mom." She gave her mother a smile before her mom walked to her to hug her.  
"Be careful, sweetie."  
"You, too." 

As the two began their walk to the Panteras base, Grimmjow got the bags he was holding in his left hand up around that shoulder before getting that arm around Ulquiorra's shoulders. "She'll be fine, Ulquiorra. No worries."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Panteras" is "panthers" in Spanish.


	2. Chapter 2

When they entered the large building that is the base of Panteras, the couple was greeted with happy hollering from the gang members present. Ulquiorra's eyes went wide with surprise. "There are a lot of people here..." 

"Would you like for me to handle her things, Boss?"   
"Thanks, Shawlong." Shawlong recieved the bags and suitcase from Grimmjow before leaving the room. Yylfordt stepped forward to gently take the bags from Ulquiorra before giving her a welcoming smile and leaving to follow Shawlong.   
"Was that Yylfordt, Grimmjow?"   
"Yeah, that's him." Yylfordt had been in the hospital for a while due to his injury, but he was back up and walking now. He just had to watch how much he lifted for a while, however, so as not to hurt himself. Grimmjow had told Ulquiorra a good amount about Nakeem, Edrad, Di Roy, Shawlong, Yylfordt, and Yuna, but he didn't want to overwhelm her with trying to learn so many names in such little time, so they were the only ones thus far whom he had told her about. 

"Wait, where are they taking my stuff, Grimmjow?" The blue-haired man got his arm back around her shoulders and brought her to him.   
"To the room you'll be stayin' in," he replied, "with me. Best room in the house." Color came to her pale cheeks as she heard this.   
"It's a bit soon for that, isn't it?"   
"If we were livin' in the seventeen hundreds, yeah." He kissed her forehead while ignoring the few guys who started whooping at this. "Besides, I'll be able t' keep ya close, then."   
"True." She didn't know most of those who were here, too, so a room alone didn't sound like such a good idea, anyway. 

"As I told ya'll before," Grimmjow spoke loudly now, "we've got ourselves a special new member of Panteras joinin' t'day. Don' mess with Ulquiorra, either, or I'll have ya on a border position fer the next week!" He looked back down at her now and returned to a speaking voice volume. "How 'bout we go back t' our room fer a bit? Let ya see it before I give ya a tour of th' place."   
"Would appreciate it. Need to lie down, anyway." Before she could ask which way, Grimmjow had scooped her up in his arms and was walking with her, raising the volume in the room by a good amount as whooping and whistles erupted out of the gang members. It didn't help her that she had chosen to wear a sleeveless green dress that just reached her knees in length. She could feel color coming to her face again from his arm being under her bare knees like this, but she knew protesting would get her nowhere. 

Besides, it wasn't so bad.


	3. Chapter 3

When they got to the bedroom, Grimmjow pinned Ulquiorra to the bed by her wrists and pressed his lips to hers, which was received with a short, surprised sound from her throat. Ulquiorra opened her mouth slightly to allow his tongue in before also deciding to explore his mouth with her own as well, their tongues seeming to dance and wrestle as they moved about one another's mouths. 

She felt a bit nervous with him standing at the edge of the bed with her legs on either side of him like this, yet she also felt somewhat excited. She gave a moan, struggling against his grip on her wrists, trying to request their release. He lifted his lips away from hers with a smirk. "¿Tienes miedo?"   
"No. Grimmjow, te quiero." The lust in her voice definitely got to him just as much as the words she spoke. He slowly brushed his hands down the full length of her arms before she wrapped them around his neck to bring him into another passionate kiss. When he brought a knee up to the bed, she got her legs around him, bringing herself against him as he got himself the rest of the way onto the bed. 

When she let herself drop back onto the bed, breaking the kiss, Grimmjow brought his lips to her neck while slipping his fingers down to her thighs, causing Ulquiorra to give a small shiver, anticipation moving her. Grimmjow slowly traced his fingers up her thighs and under her dress, leaving her neck be for now to kiss her collar, amused with just how anxious she seemed to be getting. "Nervous?"   
"A-A little, yes." She glanced away before bringing a hand up to her lips. "I... I've never done this before, Grimmjow..." His eyes widened, yet at the same time this made her all the more tempting. She was seeming so innocent, yet she definitely wanted this... 

"Guess I'll have t' play nice with ya, then."   
"No, Grimmjow, I'll be fine." He smirked.   
"Brave words from someone who's 'bout t' do this for her first time." Before she could respond, he swiftly had her bottom bare and brought his head down under the skirt of her dress.   
"Ah-!" He was restraining her ankles now, holding them so that she wouldn't close her legs or do any sort of kicking. She grabbed at the sheets as thought seemed to start evading her, allowing itself to be replaced by this new, increasing joy and arousal. 

After she heard a zipper move swiftly, Grimmjow was suddenly over her and filling her, his lips to hers as she moaned and grabbed at the back of his jacket. She was able to get a nice growl to come out of him when she started to move herself around a bit. They broke the kiss only when they needed air, but the distance remained small between them. " _Fuck_ , Ulquiorra..."   
"Harder, Grimmjow," she breathed, "please..."   
"Oh, I'll go harder." She let out a pleasured cry as he hastened his thrusts. " _Fuck_." He sat himself up and went to sit with his back against the headboard before Ulquiorra slipped off her black slip-on shoes and crawled over shakily, resting her hands on his shoulders while trying to re-position herself on his member. Grimmjow, however, wasn't going to let her go down slow, grabbing her roughly by her hips and starting up the thrusts once more. 

She dug her nails into his jacket as he sped up, their breaths shortening as the two moved together, Grimmjow thrusting into her while Ulquiorra moved her hips in rhythm with his thrusts, adding in small twists here and there while listening to the other's throaty groans and growls, which were accompanied by the occasional swearing and Ulquiorra's moans and small cries.   
"Grimmjow..!" She threw her head back and held his shoulders tightly when she came, letting out a lustful moan that had Grimmjow gain a satisfied smirk.   
"Assume that means we got a bloody mess now," he cooed while she tried to catch her breath, "but I ain't done yet, Ulqui." 

" _Fuck_..." Ulquiorra released her grip of him to reach down and grab the edge of her dress to pull that off over her head, exposing her pale body that now had such a wonderful touch of color from all the sexual arousing. She leaned forward toward him, bringing her chest close to his face. Grimmjow was quick to unhook her bra so that he could get that out of the way before circling his tongue around her right perk, then teasing it with his teeth.   
The sounds she made were wonderful as he teased her sexually. As he brought himself in and nearly fully out of her, thrusting himself back in each time, she didn't hold back any of her moans while she moved her hips along with him. When he came, Grimmjow let out quite a satisfied moan, throwing his head back while doing so. 

After they took a moment to relax, Grimmjow started to scoot himself away from the headboard to lie down while Ulquiorra shakily sat herself beside him. "That," he spoke, "was fuckin' great."   
"Don't think I'm up for a tour right now, Grimmjow." He laughed while she laid herself down beside him, wrapping her slim arms around him and resting her cheek against his chest. 

"Hell no, not after _that_!" He placed a hand on her lower back while the other rested on her head. "Ready fer a nap, maybe, after a shower." Both of them could definitely use a clean-up after that.   
"Sounds nice."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "¿Tienes miedo?" is "are you scared?" in Spanish.   
> "Te quiero" is "I want you" in Spanish.


	4. Chapter 4

After their shower and nap, the two joined the rest of the gang for dinner before Grimmjow sent people out to switch with the current border patrol. 

"So, ya have a good first day, Ulquiorra?" Ulquiorra looked over her shoulder to see a girl with long silver hair up in a ponytail and dark sapphire eyes walking toward her with a smile. She was wearing a white blouse with the blue panther symbol of the gang on it and jean shorts.   
"Yes, thank you, Yuna." Yuna stood just a couple inches shorter than Grimmjow, definitely taller than Ulquiorra, and was known as the best female member to go to for medical emergencies, the main reason Grimmjow had chosen her to stay back and watch over Yylfordt when he had been shot.   
"Good t' hear, 'specially since Grimmjow's taken such a likin' t' ya!" Ulquiorra gained a light blush as she suddenly recalled their afternoon activity earlier today, wondering now if anyone else had overheard them. 

"Not pickin' on her, are ya, Yuna?" At Grimmjow's question, Yuna laughed.   
"Nah, just givin' her a welcome, is all!" She placed a hand on Ulquiorra's head gently. "Got yerself quite a cute one 'ere, Boss. Wouldn't wanna scare 'er off!"   
"Well, if you two wanna stay up 'n chat fer a bit, I ain't stoppin' ya." Grimmjow brought his hands over his head to stretch. "As fer me, I'm callin' it a day now."   
"I think I'll come with you, Grimmjow." 

"Ya, Ulqui an' I can chat t'morrow." Yuna gave her a sudden hug, pressing Ulquiorra's cheek into quite a well-sized bust doing so, before walking off toward her own room. "See ya then, sweetie!" Ulquiorra was glad now that Grimmjow had warned her ahead of time that Yuna's so friendly, else that may have been quite awkward. She likes to think of herself as a sister to everyone, he had informed her, so hugs are something to be ready for, along with nicknames.


	5. Chapter 5

Ulquiorra found herself waking at midnight, something she hadn't been expecting at all. She was comfortable in Grimmjow's arms, yet she was also feeling thirsty enough for it to be too much to ignore, something she reluctantly decided she needed to tend to, carefully moving Grimmjow's left arm so as to slip herself to the edge of the bed before standing herself up and going to their bathroom.   
After filling the blue cup in there with water, she went to draw the bathroom curtains back to look out at the moonlit night. 

Her emerald eyes widened as the small plastic cup fell from her hand, hitting the floor once on part of its bottom before then falling to its side, spilling the water onto the floor.   
She felt as though she had to be dreaming now as her eyes focused now on a tall male in the distance who has brunette hair and emerald eyes that shone with the moon's light. He looked exactly like him, yet he was wearing some sort of black Japanese-looking outfit she had never seen him wear before. 

"H-Hibiki..." Ulquiorra's voice was but a whisper, unsure of what she was seeing or if she was even awake now. She quickly turned and went to her bag that has her clothes in it, removing her black frilly nightgown swiftly off herself before slipping on a green tank top and matching skirt. Just as she was about to dash out, she paused, her eyes landing now on her black bag that lay nearby. 

She walked over and carefully removed the bug carrier that holds the dark butterfly she had been given after Hibiki's death. It was an odd butterfly, nothing like any she had ever seen before, plus her father couldn't even see it, along with so many other people, yet Ulquiorra, her mother, and both of her siblings, when they were alive, could. She dashed out now with the carrier in hand, the one thing she had to prove to anyone that he was indeed dead, including herself.   
"Hibiki?" When she got outside, Ulquiorra looked in the direction she had seen him in while in the bathroom, hoping to see him still there. 

To her dismay, he was gone, if he had even been there to begin with.


	6. Chapter 6

When morning came, it wasn't hard for Grimmjow to pick up on the fact that Ulquiorra had slept very little, if at all, last night, since she was difficult to wake and then tired when she finally cooperated. 

"What, you not able t' sleep last night or somethin'?"   
"I had some difficulty," she admitted, "after I just woke suddenly during the night." She wasn't sure how to tell him about Hibiki, especially since she wasn't even sure if she really did see him or not. It was late, after all, and at a time when she should've been asleep, so it wasn't unlikely that she had been seeing things. "Was thirsty, so I got a bit of water, but then I just couldn't get back to sleep."   
"Hate when that happens." He planted a kiss on her forehead before propping himself up on one of his elbows. He was about to get up, but the odd-looking butterfly in the bug carrier caught his eyes, along with his curiosity. "Never seen one like that before." 

"Hm?"   
"The butterfly ya got in there," he replied, pointing at the carrier now. "Where'd ya get that?" If it weren't for its wings moving gently, he would've sworn it wasn't living.   
"The butterfly?" Something about this seemed to wake her up now, her eyes lighting up as she looked into his blue eyes. "You... You can see it?"   
"Uh, yeah. Why wouldn' I?" She frowned.   
"Most people can't," she explained, "including my father. My mother can, I can, and my siblings could, but it seemed no one else could." 

"Huh. That's odd." Grimmjow sat himself up now and got out of bed, stretching a bit before walking over to take a closer look at this butterfly. "Wait, where'd ya get it?"   
"I got it from Hibiki," she replied, "after he passed away... Our mother had given it to him when he had turned sixteen. I do not know where Mother got it, however; she had it before I was even born, according to Hibiki. Had it for as long as he could remember, even, so I don't think he would have known, either." Grimmjow's eyes widened as he looked over his shoulder at her.   
This butterfly's _older_ than Ulquiorra!? But that's over twenty years! "Ya do realize that they don't normally live fer over twenty years, let alone twenty, right?" She nodded. 

"Mother said that it's a special butterfly that shall continue on living so long as we care for it. When I've not been home, Mother cared for it, and before he passed away, Hibiki did."   
"Damn..." Grimmjow looked back at the butterfly. Where would something like that even exist? To be able to continue on for so long when normally its species shouldn't be able to... Sounded like it could outlive a person so long as it was cared for by another. 

"Perhaps we could take that tour today, Grimmjow?"   
"Yeah, definitely." He smirked. "Get that outta th' way so ya know yer way 'round the buildin' better."


	7. Chapter 7

"'Ey, Ulqui!" After the full tour of the building, Grimmjow wasn't surprised to hear Yuna calling for Ulquiorra, her sapphire eyes exposing her eagerness to speak with this newest member of the gang as she came up to meet them. "Ya done with th' tour now?" Grimmjow smirked. 

"Nah, we were just about t' take a second round," he mused, "so only halfway done." Yuna returned the smirk.   
"Ya wantin' t' spend some time with 'er, Boss? I can always wait, ya know."   
"May as well let ya talk t' 'er now, get it done already." Yuna laughed. 

"Make it sound like an errand on a to-do list!"   
"With you, it pretty much _is_!" Grimmjow looked down at Ulquiorra now. "Ya wanna go with Yuna fer a bit? I'm gonna go check on a couple a borders real quick, so not sure if ya wanna do that with me."   
"I can stay with Yuna, if that's alright." 

"Yes!" Before Ulquiorra could react, Yuna had grabbed her right arm and ran off with her, heading toward the door.   
"Grimmjow!?"   
"Don't hurt 'er now, Yuna!" He was wearing quite an amused grin when he called this out to the silver-haired woman.   
"No worries, I won't!"


	8. Chapter 8

"So, ya got any family, Ulqui?" The two walked side by side down a sidewalk now, with Yuna on the street side while Ulquiorra remained on the building side. "I was told 'bout you, but not really _about_ you, ya know?" The pale woman nodded. 

"Both of my parents are alive. I also have grandparents on my mother's side who live in Japan, along with an uncle who takes care of them."   
"So, yer a single child, then?"   
"Yes." She glanced toward the buildings now. "Both of my siblings have been deceased for years now..."   
"Awww, no!" She felt the cushion that is the other woman's bust against her head now. "I'm so sorry, Ulqui! That's so _horrible_!" 

"Y-Yuna, please."   
"Oh, how 'bout we get some ice cream, hm?" When Yuna released her from the hug, she was wearing quite a happy smile now. "That always helps t' cheer people up!"   
"But I left my wallet back at the base-"   
"It's on me! No worries!" She held up a hand over her eyes to shade them as she looked around the area. "No protestin' to it, either! Yer my newest sis, Ulqui, an' I'm gonna make sure t' care for ya! Besides, I was told yer twenty, so that makes _me_ the older sis, anyway!" 

"Wait, what?"   
"I'm twenty-three," she replied, "so that means I'm older by three years. The older sis should care for the younger ones, so I'm gonna make sure t' take care of ya whenever Grimmy can't!" Ulquiorra couldn't help the amused smile that crept onto her face.   
"You call him 'Grimmy'?" 

"No, I call 'im Boss," she replied, "but I refer t' him as Grimmy when talkin' 'bout 'im."   
"Does he know?"   
"Mm-hm! He doesn't mind, so long 's I don't try t' make it somethin' cutesy! An' trust me, I seriously could!" She pointed now at one of the nearby restaurants. "Looked over our options here, an' tha' one's the one with the best ice cream 'ere! Let's go!"

* * *

"You have two younger sisters?"   
"Yep!" Yuna seemed quite proud of this as she ate another spoonful of her banana ice cream. "Artemis is your age, but Melody's still eighteen, so she hasn't hit the big two-oh yet. I used t' visit 'em every weekend, but then Artemis moved an' Melody's been stayin' at an apartment near where she's attendin' college with some friends."   
"You must miss them." She was sure she would have missed her siblings, too, if they had moved out. She got a spoonful of her mint chocolate ice cream into her own mouth while watching Yuna curiously. 

"I do," she admitted, "but I've got th' gang t' take care of, too! Ya see, before I joined Panteras, I was jus' another drop-out who landed 'erself at a grocery store. One day, however, I met this crazy customer with blue hair an' matchin' eyes an' thought 'he'd make a great brother!' Guy turned out t' be older than me, but he had this grin that just _spelled_ trouble." 

"Did you ask Grimmjow to join?" She laughed.   
"Nah, he asked me! I had no clue th' dude was part of a gang 'til someone who recognized 'im thought they should warn me, but I didn' think I was gang material, of all things!"   
"How did you take the news?"   
"I shrugged, told 'em that he didn't seem like he wanted t' kill anyone right now, an' then I went an' talked to 'im." 

Just as Ulquiorra was about to reply, a large booming noise could be heard from outside just as debris from where it happened flung outward, a piece of which ended up landing just outside of the window they were sitting beside. "Ulquiorra, get down!" Yuna was searching outside now for what had caused it while Ulquiorra was now staring right at it.


	9. Chapter 9

Something that looked like some sort of giant monster was standing in the new, large crater that it had stomped into the street just a block away from them. It was dark green, large, and had a white mask that was shaped like a giant shell noodle. The mask had two holes for its eyes that were circular in shape along with a giant hole in its chest. "Ulquiorra, get under th' table!" 

"It's right _there_ , Yuna!" She pointed desperately at it. "You see it, don't you!?" Or is it like my butterfly, she thought, worried now, and only a few people might be able to see it? Can anyone besides she herself see it?   
To her dismay, this was indeed the case. "See what, Ulqui?" Yuna was indeed looking at the crater, but her eyes were looking around it, too, so she definitely wasn't focusing on the creature. Ulquiorra looked back out at it, her heart pounding in her ears now as it looked back at her, too, and seemed to notice that she could see it. 

"We need to _run_!"   
"But Ulqui-"   
" _Hurry_ , Yuna!" Whatever that thing is, it was deciding to walk toward them, its tree trunk thick legs leaving craters with every step it took, shaking the ground beneath it while not seeming to give a damn that it was flinging debris everywhere. She was standing now, but Yuna was still on one knee on her seat. 

"We should be gettin' under a table, Ulqui!"   
"No, you don't understand!" The fact that the other woman wasn't seeming up to running from this thing was terrifying, especially since Ulquiorra didn't want to leave her here ducking under a table while that thing was coming this way. " _Please!_ "


	10. Chapter 10

"You smell _delicious_ , girl." Her emerald eyes looked slowly back out the window at it as the creature bent down beside the restaurant to peek in at them. Its voice was deep and bellowing, suiting to its massive form. "Seems you can see me, _too!_ Oh," it cooed, "that means you'll taste even _better_ than most humans I've encountered!" 

How did that giant thing cover that distance in such short time? "Leave us alone!" Her shout shocked Yuna, but at this point she didn't care. All she wanted now was for them to be back at the base, safe and away from whatever this thing is.   
"Ulqui?"   
"Seems your little _friend_ there's blind as a bat t' me!" It laughed maniacally. "Then again, they tend to be so! Perhaps I'll make her the appetizer, then finish off with _you!_ " Ulquiorra grabbed Yuna's wrist and ran away from the window, which was smashed only seconds after. 

"Oh my gosh, what just-!?" Yuna was cut off as the force of the stomp that followed the window shattering flung them both straight through a different window on the other side of the restaurant and out into the street, with Yuna being somewhat quick to get herself up, ignoring the pain in her arms as she carefully stood herself up.   
Ulquiorra, on the other hand, was feeling unable to move at all, her body feeling numb while a buzz rang in her ears, rendering her deaf to any other sounds. Even her vision was beginning to blur. 

This is it. They were going to die. That thing was going to eat them. Ulquiorra would have welcomed death only about a month ago with open arms, but now she felt otherwise, hoping desperately that perhaps Yuna would pick her up and run, would listen to her words from earlier and just get them out of here, before it was too late. 

"Ulquiorra..?" She saw a man stand beside her, yet she couldn't hear him speak. She wanted desperately to respond, to ask what it was he had just said, as she did see his lips moving, but she couldn't even do that much. "Hang in there."   
But she just couldn't, not for much longer, even if she had heard him. Holding onto this numbed consciousness was becoming tiring, too difficult to do along with much of anything else.


	11. Chapter 11

What? Ulquiorra recognized where she was, which was still that same street by that restaurant, yet she was suddenly standing beside herself. 

Wait, _beside herself?_ "Oh my god..." She looked down at her limp body in terror. She had a few cuts here and there, but it definitely wasn't as bad as the time she had gone through a window a month ago, surprisingly enough. Was probably due to the force flinging her as opposed to her going out with and into glass.   
Yuna was a bit beat up, too, and was standing a foot away from her, looking around the place in confusion, as if somehow she would become able to find the cause of it all if she just kept searching the place like that. "Am... Am I dead..?" 

"No, you could still return to your body, if you wanted to." She looked over her shoulder swiftly to look at the man who had spoken.   
"Hibiki?" He gave her a gentle smile. "But... But you're..."   
"I know, I'm dead. Been dead for a while now, huh?" He smirked. "I'm not stuck back in the soul realm, however, like most people after they die and are brought there."   
"How?" 

"Seems I fit the role of Soul Reaper pretty damned well," he replied, "which it looks like you would, too, with training." She looked down at herself to discover that she was wearing a black Japanese-style uniform of some sort that was exactly like the one he was wearing.   
This was insane. "Wait, she's a _soul reaper?_ " The creature sounded shocked at first, but it seemed suddenly pleased by this revelation. "Looks like I just got myself a two-for-one deal here!" 

"Nii-sama, what _is_ that thing?"   
"Hollow." He unsheathed his sword and pointed it toward the creature. "They're the result of a soul who's lost its heart and thus became a soul-eating monster. One of the tasks of Soul Reapers is to cleanse these things."   
"You think you can take me down so _easily_ , Reaper?" Ulquiorra wasn't quite sure what to do, watching the hollow as it lifted one of it thick front legs. "I am sturdy as the ground beneath us," it boasted, "and thicker than the oldest of trees! You reapers and your swords are _useless_ against me!" 

"I'll handle this guy, then." Hibiki glanced over at Ulquiorra. "You find anyone who might be able to see you like this? Seems this girl here can't."   
"Yes, I have."   
"Go get them, then, and quick." He looked back at the hollow. "I'll be able to stall him for a while, but backup won't be here so soon. If he's speaking the truth, then I'll need one more experienced soul reaper in order to take him down efficiently."


	12. Chapter 12

"Seems things have been goin' well thus far." Grimmjow gave a nod in agreement to Di Roy's comment. The two were now leaving the southern border, the last one Grimmjow was planning on personally checking for today. It was good news, yet it was also unsettling, what with how Aizen was probably still royally pissed about what happened and was probably going to do something about it soon enough.   
Grimmjow was walking on eggshells from this. "Thus far."   
"Well, maybe he'll leave us be?" Grimmjow raised an eyebrow as he gained a look of inquisition. 

"Ya know we're talkin' 'bout Aizen, right?" He looked back forward now. "Bastard ain't just gonna sit back an' pretend nothin' happened, Roy. No, he's just gonna let his wounds heal before decidin' what t' do about us." Just lick his wounds clean while planning the next strike, then watch as it comes to perfection while he allows his injuries to heal.   
"What if he's waitin' 'til after Gin can assist?" That was a good point to consider. The ex leader of Kitsune was pregnant with Aizen's child, after all, so she was sure to be under house arrest while not being allowed to participate in any of the gang's shenanigans now. From what Ulquiorra had told him, she would be about two months in now.   
From what Grimmjow had heard of her when she was still a gang leader, Gin was up there with Aizen when it had come down to gang leaders you didn't want to screw with. Would be wise for Aizen to wait on her.   
"Then we got about seven more months t' wait," he replied, "but I ain't about t' let my guard down fer that long. Not when it's Aizen we're talkin' 'bout." He wasn't about to let his guard down for even a single day if he could help it. 

"'k." After a moment, Di Roy seemed to gain a sudden smirk. "So, you an' her do somethin' naughty after ya _'showed'_ her her new room, Boss?"   
"Like I'm about t' tell ya that."   
"Aw, c'mon! I ain't the only one curious, ya know, an' if ya tell me, I can tell the others so they don't bug you 'bout it."   
"Nah, I think I can handle the attention just fine."   
"Bu-"   
"No, not hearin' any buts outta you over it." 

"Grimmjow!" Grimmjow came to a halt before focusing his eyes on Ulquiorra, though she was definitely dressed extremely different from what he had seen her leave the base in.   
"Boss?"   
"You need to head into town," Ulquiorra spoke quickly, " _now_!"   
"What's goin' on there?"   
"You a'right, Boss?" Grimmjow looked at Di Roy, confused by his question.   
"Yeah, I'm fine. Talkin' to Ulquiorra." 

"Grimmjow, he cannot see me right now." Grimmjow returned his gaze to her. "You remember the situation with my butterfly, yes?" Grimmjow gave a nod. "That's what's occurring with me right now," she explained, "only a few people can see me right now. Since you could see my butterfly, I figured you'd be able to see me, too. Roy cannot hear me, either, or really do anything to interact with me."   
"Roy, we oughta head into town," Grimmjow decided, "make sure nothin's happened to Yuna an' Ulquiorra."   
"Uh, 'k, if ya say so." Grimmjow smirked.   
"How 'bout we race there?" Ulquiorra's worried expression relaxed when she heard this, bringing about a small, thankful smile. 

"Wait, what?" Di Roy definitely wasn't expecting this.   
"Last one there's payin' for anythin' the girls have left t' pay," Grimmjow taunted while Ulquiorra turned away to lead the way.   
"Hey, w-wait a sec-!" When Ulquiorra started running, Grimmjow did the same, which then caused Di Roy to as well.


	13. Chapter 13

When Ulquiorra and the two following her reached town, Hibiki was working on catching his breath while holding his sword so that it was pointing at the monster who had made quite a considerable mess of the place by this point. "Ani!" Hibiki glanced over at Ulquiorra to reveal a bit of blood running from the left corner of his mouth.  
"Dare?" Grimmjow wasn't sure what to make of this. Is this guy..? But he couldn't possibly be...  
"Namae wa Grimmjow to Di Roy." 

"Boss, look!" Grimmjow looked where Roy was pointing now to not only see Yuna standing with her back against what looked like the remains of a restaurant's wall, but she was holding an unconscious Ulquiorra in her arms.  
That can't be... "Grimmjow." He looked over at Ulquiorra now, the one who was conscious and dressed like this new guy she had called her older brother. "I'm still alive," she assured him, "but I'm just not in my body right now. Do you see-"  
"Oh," the hollow cackled, "it looks like ya brought me a couple more humans to munch on! How _considerate_!"  
"The hell is _that_ thing, Ulquiorra?" 

"It's called a hollow," she replied, "and right now, I need you to guide Yuna back to the base while making sure it doesn't harm her. Neither she nor Roy can see it."  
"You should go with him," Hibiki spoke, "not stay here and risk your life over this hollow." Ulquiorra shook her head before unsheathing a sword she had sheathed at her right hip.  
"I won't leave you here alone, Hibiki."  
"Once backup gets here," he replied, "I won't be alone. Please, Ulquiorra, go! Return to your body and leave!" Before she could reply, Grimmjow got her by one of her wrists and started walking her over to where Yuna was standing. 

"Grimmjow!"  
"Not lettin' ya stay here an' face that thing like this." When he got to Yuna, the silver-haired girl seemed confused from watching him.  
"Boss, is..." Yuna looked around where the hollow stood, but without seeing it at all. "Is there really somethin' there that did all this?"  
"We've gotta get goin'." He directed Ulquiorra to her body, which she reluctantly went back into. "Roy, you lead."  
"'Right."  
"Yuna, you'll be in middle, since ya got Ulquiorra. I'll be takin' back, since I can see the thing."  
"'k."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Ani" is "older brother," but referring specifically to the speaker's own older brother, in Japanese.  
> "Dare" is "who" in Japanese.  
> "Namae wa Grimmjow to Di Roy" is "[their] names are Grimmjow and Di Roy," with the subject of the sentence implied, as Japanese does, in Japanese.


	14. Chapter 14

It was a bit of a surprise for Grimmjow that Ulquiorra, despite having been conscious and running about outside of her body, had become completely unconscious after going back into her body. "She might've landed head first," Yuna admitted with a shrug, "an' that knocked her out. I just landed on one a my arms first. Pretty sure it's got some damage," she admitted, "but I can still use it." Both of the girls were scratched up, but Yuna had been luckier than Ulquiorra, as far as Grimmjow could tell. Then again, she's taller, so equal injury on her could easily be more spread out than it would be on Ulquiorra. 

That was what she had said after they had made it back to base. Yuna was now with the members who did the more medical-type stuff while Grimmjow had set Ulquiorra onto their bed and was lying beside her, an arm around her as he waited for her to wake. Why isn't she awake yet..? It's been an hour now... He couldn't help but worry, especially after what had happened before.  
"Grimm...jow..?"  
"Ulquiorra?" When she opened her eyes only halfway, nothing seemed to look right. Everything was a bunch of individual colored circles, as if someone had decided to make one of those bubble-popping games out of her vision, except that the matching bubbles that were three or more in a row weren't popping. Grimmjow could feel her tense before her eyes widened. "Relax, you're safe-" 

"I-It doesn't look right, Grimmjow."  
"What?" When she tried looking around the room, the whole thing seemed to suddenly make her feel somewhat dizzy and naseus.  
"Everything's all circles, Grimmjow." He brought his other arm around her to bring her against his chest.  
"Calm down, Ulqui." Her pulse had already picked up a bit, as if someone had suddenly decided to successfully surprise her. "Deep breaths." He looked toward the door while Ulquiorra hid her face in his shirt, gripping it tightly. " _Hey_!" His shout was sharp, demanding attention from any who heard it. "Someone get in here!" 

"What is it, Boss?" The male at the door definitely wasn't one of the medically-trained members, but he _is_ someone.  
"Get one of the medics in here," he barked, " _now_!" Normally he wasn't this harsh to them, but something being wrong with Ulquiorra had him worried _and_ agitated. This, of course, resulted in the male at the door leaving quickly to go get one.  
"Grimmjow, atama ga itain..." He bit at his bottom lip before bringing a hand up to rest on the back of her head.  
"Sorry." _"She might've landed head first"_... Yuna's words resurfaced in his mind now. Yuna had mentioned that it seemed like an explosive of some sort had gone off right by them, the force was so strong, but it didn't have the gunpowder portion. If Ulquiorra _did_ land head first... 

"Boss?" Grimmjow looked over at the doorway to see a female member looking in at them. To his relief, he recognized her to be a base guard and medic of the gang, Sival. Her near-white blue eyes seemed as curious as ever while her lilac hair was up in its usual ready-to-work bun. She only stood at about the same height as Ulquiorra, plus an inch, but she's one of his best medics, thus holding authority over most of the other medics.  
"She said her head hurts," he explained, "and her vision was all spots. 'Circles', but same thing." Ulquiorra pressed herself against him.  
"I don't want to open them," she murmured. "It makes me feel sick, and dizzy." Sival walked over to stand at the edge of the bed now before sitting on the edge of it, behind Ulquiorra. 

"She won't have t' open her eyes, will she?"  
"Is that a concern?"  
"She said that the circle vision thing makes her feel sick an' dizzy." Sival nodded, seeming to take a mental note of this now.  
"If her vision's been affected," she thought aloud, "then there may be damage to the occipital lobe, or perhaps simply just the skull... Her body's recovering from quite a hit to the head if her vision's in spots." She reached toward the back of Ulquiorra's head, waited until Grimmjow removed his hand from it, and then carefully began to part Ulquiorra's hair here and there. "I'm not seeing any blood," she observed, "nor am I seeing any obvious injury..." 

"She alright, then?" Sival's eyes met Grimmjow's now.  
"It's the injuries we cannot see," she replied, "that are the injuries we should worry the most about. Because I am not seeing anything, that means that it's completely internal."  
"Grimmjow..." He rested his head on her's now.  
"What should we do then, Sival?"  
"If her vision doesn't improve by dinner time," she replied, "then you need to bring her back to the hospital to be properly cared for." Sival stood herself up beside the bed before pulling her long black dress' sleeves back down, since she had them rolled up for probably something she had been handling prior to coming into this room. "For now, keep her in bed. Don't have her do anything strenuous, either," she added, "which _does_ include jumping and running in this case, mind you." 

"Wait, _seriously_?" Grimmjow wasn't sure what to think of this. "If she can't even run or jump, what exactly _can_ she do?"  
"Well, walk, for one." Sival smirked. "Also, bathroom actions, eating, the necessities."  
"Least she isn't completely bedridden, then." Grimmjow held Ulquiorra closer, putting a hand back onto the back of her head again while Sival walked toward the open door. 

"I hope to see you both later at dinner, then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "atama ga itain" is "[my] head hurts," with the added "n" at the end to imply unspoken feeling(s) or thought(s) regarding the situation, in Japanese.


	15. Chapter 15

"Grimmjow?" The couple were both relieved to have Ulquiorra's vision normal again not too long after Sival had left the room, but they had decided to remain in the position they had been in when it was spotty.   
"Yeah?" There was a moment of silence before she spoke again.   
"Do you... Do you know how Hibiki is?" She seemed nervous asking, but, then again, this was her dead brother she was asking about, not someone you'd normally ask this about when they've been dead for years now. 

"No, but I'm sure he's fine." Grimmjow wasn't sure about how to feel when it came to both seeing Hibiki out there and seeing that he was actually facing that weird thing, that hollow, on his own. He did mention backup, however, so he may have mostly been trying to distract that thing while buying time for them to escape.   
"Shouldn't we go back out there and see if he is alright?" Ulquiorra looked up at him now with conern in her eyes. "What if Hibiki is in need of assistance? What if help never came? We should at least see-"   
"We aren't goin' back out there just yet, Ulquiorra. That thing could still be there, or, hell, it could a had buddies comin', too. Besides, Sival said you aren't s'posed t' be doin' anything too strenuous, an' goin' back out there could mean havin' t' run again." Yes, Ulquiorra had been carried back, but that doesn't mean she would get that luxury again if they tried their luck. Had she been conscious and able, chances are Yuna would've had her running instead of carrying her. Along with that was the idea of if there were any hollows out there, Grimmjow might not get a chance to scoop her up and run if necessary. 

"Please, Grimmjow." Her emerald eyes seemed more desprate now. "I don't want to lose Hibiki again." Grimmjow put his lips close to her forehead.   
"I know, but you've gotta trust 'im, Ulqui. If he was in a bad enough spot with it, I bet he would a figured somethin' out."   
"And if he couldn't?"   
"I'm not leavin' you all alone if that happens." She brought her arms up and wrapped them around his shoulders to bring her lips close to his. He's still here for me... It was comforting to hear those words from him and know he meant every last one. She didn't have to go through this alone, nor did she have to worry that this would lead to any unnecessary pain.We'll figure out how Hibiki is soon enough, she decided, and Hibiki and I can spend time together again, just like when I was small. 

"Love you, Grimmjow." Grimmjow smirked a bit at this.   
"Love ya, too." With her current condition, being close to her and kisses were enough for him.


	16. Chapter 16

"She probably cracked her skull."   
"Shit, _seriously_?!" At Grimmjow's response, Sival nodded. It was after dinner now, and the woman had decided to voice the results of her observations and findings to Grimmjow. 

"Better than the possibility of occipital damage," she replied calmly, "or _any_ sort of brain damage, at that. It seems loud noises are cause for headaches for her now, however, from what I observed at dinner, but her body seems to be moving properly, picking up on the signals from the brain to do what she needs to. Her vision recovered, her eyes are focused, and she seems well..." Sival considered this for a moment. "I would give her one to two weeks to recover, so long as she's a good patient and doesn't do anything she shouldn't."   
"That still pretty much anything?" Sival smirked. 

"Yes, pretty much, besides the basics." Great. "I'm sure she'll be fine, though, given this isn't you or Yuna we're talking about."   
"Yeah..." If only she knew about the whole Hibiki situation, but, then again, Sival probably wouldn't understand that, anyway. 

"Just make sure to keep an eye on her, Boss, just in case." Sival turned to begin walking toward her own room. "Wouldn't want her to go and do anything reckless, after all."


	17. Chapter 17

"Are meals always that loud, Grimmjow?" Ulquiorra was sitting on the edge of their bed now with her right hand over that side of her face, wishing pain killers were more instantaneous when it came to _actually_ working.   
"Well, got a lot a people here," he replied as he sat down next to her, "an' most a them like t' try t' make it to meals." She leaned herself against his left arm. 

"I don't know if I can honestly do that again too soon," she admitted. "I mean no offense to any of them, but my head feels like someone's knocked it against a cement wall." She had been alright with the volume being this loud at the meals she had been present for here prior to now, but with her head like this, she just couldn't take it.   
"Could always see 'bout gettin' them to all quiet down durin' meals," Grimmjow replied, "if ya want."   
"No, I would rather not force them all to do that simply because of my injury." It isn't any of their faults, after all. "Perhaps, if you would be alright with it, I could just eat in here instead?" During meals, it seemed everyone gathered in the large main room to eat and converse, with very few people going to eat elsewhere. 

"I wouldn't mind that." He put his left hand on her head. "Hell, might join ya in here, too." She lowered her hand to rest in her lap before looking up at him and speaking again.   
"You know, you honestly don't have to do that." Grimmjow smirked.   
"Course I know that," he replied, amused. "I mean, c'mon, I'm the boss 'round here, so I do what I want, an' if that means eatin' in here with you, then that's what I'll do."   
"But you seem to always have so much to talk about with everyone," she recalled, "and they always seem so eager to get your attention, too." 

"Been seemin' t' do that with you now, too, ya know."   
"Really?"   
"What, ya seriously didn't notice?" Ulquiorra looked down at her hands now, unsure of how to respond to this. "You might not say much, but they really are tryin' t' talk to ya, too, Ulqui. It's no big deal that ya didn't notice it, either," he added, "'specially since we can only really see an' hear so much at once."   
"Is it... Is it just because we're dating, Grimmjow?"   
"No," he admitted, "not all of it. I've seen 'em get like this over lots of new members. They're tryin' t' get a chance t' talk to the newest member of the gang, try t' make ya feel welcome an' get t' know you." He brushed his hand down through her hair to rest it on her back. "I gotta admit, what ya said's probably gonna keep their excitement goin' long after, but I'm sure once they get t' know ya, that'll keep 'em wantin' t' talk, too."   
"You mean it?" Grimmjow lifted her chin with his right hand to meet her emerald eyes with his blue ones. 

"No one's gonna go an' start avoidin' ya just 'cause, Ulqui. Not datin' ya just 'cause you're cute, you know." He smirked. "After they get t' know ya well enough, I might have t' compete with 'em just to spend time with ya durin' the day!" He could tell she was trying to hold back a smile when she bit at her bottom lip.   
"I hope that doesn't become the case. Might become overwhelming for me."   
"Can always sneak you back here," he mused, "since they seem to know not t' bother us while we're in here."   
"Or we could go out somewhere," she added, "get out of the base for a while." 

"How 'bout we do that tomorrow, then?" He touched his forehead to hers. "I know of a few places we could go, an' none a them should be a prob for yer head." She wasn't expecting him to jump on that idea so quickly.   
"You really don't have to, though, Grimmjow, especially if any mean-" Grimmjow brought his lips to hers, purposely cutting her off at that point for a moment.   
"I'm boss here," he whispered, "remember? If I wanna spend a bit on you, I'm gonna spend a bit on ya." Worth every bit.   
"'k." When their lips met again, this time was much more passionate and meant to last longer than just a small moment.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick one-chapter visit to Soul Society

"There was only the one hollow?" He had indeed reviewed the report and knew it said this, but he wanted voiced confirmation from the division member before him for several reasons, with one being that the said member should have had a much shorter report if this was true, not such a lengthy one that seemed to show there was an issue.   
"Yes, Captain."   
"Why is it, then, that you took longer to defeat it than usual? Longer than you should have, to be more precise. From what I have been informed of the situation, it was but a large 'hard-hitter', lacking in speed and, by all means, stealth. You have engaged in combat against hollows quite similar to this one and have had no issues, yet it appears you stalled this fight and even requested backup." 

"There is a human of interest residing in that area, Captain, who was close to it, so I wanted to ensure her safety."   
"A human of interest?" The brunette captain's attention was caught now. "Was she capable of seeing you or the hollow at all?"   
"Yes, she was." Hibiki was glad to hear interest in the other's voice, but he knew he also had to try to keep his relation to said human of interest secret, at least for now.   
"Your stalling was successful, then, I would hope."   
"Yes, she and those with her escaped safely, Captain."   
"You may go, then." Hibiki gave a quick bow to the other man. 

"Yes, Captain Kuchiki."


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick peek on Lobos.  
> Yes, I did a quick search regarding how long gunshot wounds take to heal when I was doing this.

A gunshot wound could take a little over a week to heal, depending on if an infection occurs and sometimes where the shot had been received causing issues, each of which could extend this time to as long as two weeks, perhaps even longer if one was unlucky. 

Since he hadn't had any difficulties with his, Aizen's had healed after about ten days, easily. Even so, he wasn't about to simply brush it off his shoulders and pretend that Ulquiorra hadn't betrayed him about a month ago and had even had the gall to shoot at him, even if she had clearly not aimed to kill. He wasn't about to ignore the information he had received of her joining Grimmjow's gang after her release from the hospital, either, the same gang which had organized and led the whole attack on Lobos to take Ulquiorra. 

Nnoitra's involvement would not be ignored, either, but that was something he wasn't about to concern himself with for the moment. After all, it was due to Grimmjow that Nnoitra had even done anything that day, which proved that the leader of Panteras may have _some_ persuasive skills over other gang leaders after all, if given the reason and chance. This was a thought to cause a bit of concern for Lobos, but it wasn't such a big deal that it had to be acted upon now and done sloppily.  
After all, Lobos had gained alliances with several other gangs throughout the years, with the most notable one being from Aizen's engagement to Gin, Kitsune, which used to be on the top of Lobos' list of problematic rival gangs. Gin's sly, cunning, and sometimes even ruthless approach to her leadership was like a slightly less self-controlled version of Aizen himself's, which had led to both of them being the biggest concern to most, if not all, other gangs.  
Aizen didn't have to start a relationship such as this one to get her territory, as far as he was concerned, but had done so after several encounters with her. She was willing to hide a gun up a sleeve and shoot it like that, had intimidatingly accurate aim with pistols, was well-practiced at reloading swiftly and flawlessly, and was even alright with stooping low enough to outright lie or kill to win, all traits that he was quite intrigued with, yet none of which had really caught his eye. 

The way she wields swords had him curious about her. It was like a dance with crimson ribbons of blood being twirled about her when she was in the midst of a battle and armed with blades, and she seemed to become so light on her feet, as if letting herself touch down for too long would mean her defeat. When the two had their blades cross in battles, it seemed neither one had any problem with focusing their eyes solely on the other, despite the fact of both being unwilling to yield to the other in combat. 

"Sousuke?" Familiar pale arms wrapped themselves lightly around the leader of Lobos' shoulders, bringing that familiar scent of marigolds with them as the woman rested her head on his right shoulder. Despite her pregnancy, Aizen was sure she could hold her own if she had to still, though he aimed to make sure such a situation wouldn't occur, which meant holding off on truly starting his revenge on Panteras. "Ya haven't come by th' room in a while, ya know." Gin's voice itself seemed to have a habit of having seductive tone changes, especially when she wanted something or even simply spoke to Aizen. "Been wantin' t' talk ta ya." That was another reason he had made his decision of wanting to be with her, because of her mind, the conversations and ideas they could share intelligently, not just him talking to her and merely receiving nods or confused questions of misunderstanding. 

"I have been a bit preoccupied by things," he admitted, "but I do have at least a moment I can spare now." Hearing this, she moved her hands to the back of the chair and straightened herself while Aizen stood himself up from it. "Is there anything in particular you're wanting to speak to me about?"  
"No," Gin admitted, "jus' wantin' t' talk, that's all." Aizen went around the chair to stand beside her before placing an arm around her hips. She wasn't too demanding, either, being one to not wear much of any makeup or jewelry very often, along with not asking for much with clothing or shoes, even if Aizen did sometimes decide to simply get her something he thought would look nice on her while he was out. She seemed fine with just the basic necessities, her weapons at the ready, and some conversation and attention from him. 

"We can go to our room to do so, then." Until she was ready to assist him again, he could stick to talking about his current ideas and thoughts about things with her while only the smaller steps were acted upon, the necessities to prepare for the anticipated act.


	20. Chapter 20

"Yuna, wait!" The silver-haired girl only laughed as she ran through the park in her faded blue jeans and white tank top, her worn white tennis shoes now with new grass stains to further color them. Ulquiorra had chosen to walk while following her, her sky blue dress that reaches to her knees gently moving with the wind with her short black hair. She wore her black slip-on shoes, which aren't really made for running, but she knew she could. 

It had been about a month now since she had joined Panteras, yet it had definitely been a month since she had last seen Hibiki. When she left the base, she did see people here and there wearing the same uniform that he had been wearing, and she had spotted- and avoided- several of those hollows, but things had definitely calmed down for Panteras. It was odd to be seeing those hollow things as often as she was now, however. "C'mon, Ulqui! No harm in runnin' now, ya know!"  
But was there? Ulquiorra had chosen not to say anything to anyone yet, but she and Grimmjow had messed around enough times that she had gotten curious about if that had done something, and it had. Her appetite had grown a bit, she was tired a little more often than before and a little sooner than before, and she was confused on what to do after finding herself to now be a month along. She knew she should tell Grimmjow, but how would he take it? He had been so busy as of recent, too, keeping track of everything going on that he could, from reports from borders and news from the borders on the movement of other gangs, especially Lobos, to going out there himself to either guard the borders in a small turf war or simply overlook that border for a while. 

"Ulqui?" She was startled to suddenly find Yuna speaking from right beside her. "You doin' alright? Been kinda spacey the last few days," she commented, "an' you've been seemin' like yer runnin' on less energy, too."  
"I'm fine," she replied. "Please, do not worry." Yuna, however, didn't seem convinced by this.  
"You sure? I mean, if it's got somethin' t' do with Grimmy bein' busy, you can talk t' me 'bout it, no prob." Ulquiorra looked at her with a confused look on her face.  
"Why would that be it, if I may ask?"  
"Well, sometimes when yer with someone an' they don't seem t' be payin' ya much attention, ya start doubtin' things an' thinkin' too much 'bout 'em."  
"That isn't bothering me, Yuna. Grimmjow does what he feels he must for Panteras, and he and I do still spend time together." Yuna placed an arm around Ulquiorra's shoulders. 

"I'm glad t' hear that. Ya sure nothin's botherin' ya at all, though?"  
"Yes, I am." She wanted to tell Yuna, but was this really something she should tell her yet? It just didn't seem right to tell Yuna before Grimmjow, after all, since this wasn't just Ulquiorra's, but Grimmjow's, too.  
"A'right, if ya say so." With that, the older girl was off again, running like an excited child without a care in the world. No one seemed to mind, either, with children on the playground watching her and a few waving to her while adults seemed to either enjoy that she was amusing the children or possibly feel that yearning of wanting to be able to feel that way again, to be able to just run without a care and laugh with joy while doing so. 

Ulquiorra couldn't help but look over toward the playground thoughtfully, her mind going back to that small little stick that had told her she was going to have one of her own in about nine months, too, though about eight now. So much comes with that... Feeding the child, teaching them, raising them, providing for them, giving them a nice, healthy life...  
Could she really do all that? What if something went wrong? What if she did something wrong? 

_"Ane..."_ Ulquiorra quickly turned to look behind her, yet it seemed there was no one there. That sounded like...  
"Asako?" Maybe she was doing what Hibiki was doing now, too? She had died at such a young age, yes, but she could still show up like he did, too, right? "Imoto-chan?" When no response came, she wasn't quite sure what to make of this. It had been a long time since she had last even thought about Asako, her deceased younger sister, what with things happening with Panteras that had kept her mind too distracted by other things to do so, yet she seemed to be hearing her voice now.  
Why?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Ane" is "older sister" in Japanese, though it is specifically used for one's own older sister.   
> "Imoto-chan" is "younger sister" in Japanese.


	21. Chapter 21

"Nakeem, is Grimmjow here?" Ulquiorra watched as Nakeem shook his head.   
"No, he's out at the north border," he explained, "makin' sure things are goin' better over there since yesterday's li'l surprise."   
"'k. Thank you." 

"Perhaps we could play some chess in the meantime?" Yylfordt. "It may be a while before he returns, after all. Would be better than simply returnin' to your room an' waiting." He did have a good point, especially since it would be a nice way to both kill some time and get it to go by faster than it would if she opted for the in-bedroom waiting.   
"That would be nice." She could speak comfortably to the rest of the Panteras members, but she wasn't sure about speaking to any of them about the "weirder" topics, which not only meant seeing her dead brother, but now also hearing her dead sister. Di Roy and Yuna both had proven to not be able to see Hibiki or that hollow, after all, and she didn't want to cause them or anyone else here any concern about her mental or emotional state by speaking of these things. It was best to simply assume both herself and Grimmjow are the only ones in the base who can even see hollows and soul reapers and avoid the topic otherwise. 

"Before you do that," spoke a familiar female's voice, "might I have a word with you, Ulquiorra?" Ulquiorra, Yylfordt, and Nakeem looked to see Sival walking toward them, her hair down rather than being up in what everyone called her "busy bun."   
"Yes, of course." She followed Sival to the woman's room and was directed to sit in Sival's patient chair, which sat by a table that had several things lying on it that were used for simple check-ups, along with a plastic container of cue tips at the left wall corner, a container with hair bands beside it, and then a newly-opened box of tissues beside that. There were a few cabinets above the table on that wall and Sival's bed against the wall across from the table, which she sometimes used with patients as well. The chair Sival sat in was adjacent to the table, and a well-stocked bookshelf sat against the wall behind it. 

Sival closed her door and sat down in her chair. "So, how have you been doing, Ulquiorra?" Other than Ulquiorra herself, Sival was the only one who knew of the pregnancy.   
"I have been doing well, thank you."   
"Very good to hear. Seems you're about a month along now, yes?" Ulquiorra nodded. "No pains of any sort?"   
"No."   
"Good." Sival went to her bookshelf to remove the spiral notebook she used for taking notes on check ups before sitting back down, flipping it open, and taking the pen out of its spiral to begin writing. "You have not been stressing or feeling upset about anything as of recent, have you?"   
"Confused," she admitted, "and worried." Sival nodded. 

"That's understandable for one becoming a mother for her first time," she replied, "especially if she may feel she is lacking in support or finances, or perhaps if she is feeling unprepared." She pointed her pen at the square scale in front of her bed. "If you wouldn't mind stepping onto the scale for a moment, please." Ulquiorra slipped her shoes off and walked over to do so. "Tell me, have you been able to tell him yet?" Ulquiorra knew exactly who she was talking about without her even having to state his name.   
"No, not yet. I was hoping he would have been back here before Yuna and I returned," she explained as Sival stood to read the scale and write the numbers, "so that I could speak to him about this, but he has yet to return." Sival nodded as she sat back down, with her sitting acting as Ulquiorra's cue to step off the scale and do the same.   
"I am glad to hear you are wanting to tell him now, and I do hope you are able to get yourself to do so soon, hopefully today."   
"I do, too." Sival capped her pen before looking at Ulquiorra now. 

"It is very important that you do, and not just because it is his, Ulquiorra. If you are feeling unprepared or unsure of this, I am sure he will help you. You both are with a close bond, so I know he would do whatever it is he would have to in order to help. I am here, too, and am willing to listen to you whenever I have the time and you would like to talk. If ever you are unsure of something or worried, you can talk to him or me. You are part of Panteras, after all." Ulquiorra gave her a nod.   
"I understand. Thank you." Sival gave a gentle smile before nodding.   
"Now, I heard you have a game or few of chess to play against Yylfordt before Boss gets back, yes? Don't want to keep him waiting for too long."


	22. Chapter 22

"Welcome back, Boss!" Yuna seemed quite happy to see him back today. 

"Thanks. Say, where's Ulquiorra?" Before he had left, Yuna had mentioned that she was going to head out to the park with Ulquiorra, so he was sure she'd have some idea of where the small girl was now. He wasn't surprised to see Yuna at base, of course, as he wasn't expecting them to be there all day.   
"Yylfordt an' her had a few games a chess," Yuna recalled, "before she suddenly seemed really tired, so Shawlong brought 'er back t' yer room." she gave a small shrug. "Probably sleepin'."   
"I'll go see if she is, then." Grimmjow left to his and Ulquiorra's room and carefully opened the door just enough to look in and see.   
Ulquiorra was currently sitting on the floor beside the bed, watching that strange butterfly of hers that was so invisible to most people. "Seems ya aren't sleepin'." Ulquiorra looked over at him now as he stepped in and shut the door behind himself. "It do anythin' new?" She looked back at the butterfly as he sat down beside her and wrapped his left arm around her shoulders. 

"No, but I want to talk to you about a few things, one of which I think might be another thing like my butterfly." He wasn't sure how to feel about this, given the last time they talked about something like this, they were talking about seeing a dead person walking.   
"I'm listenin'." She looked up at him now.   
"While Yuna and I were at the park, I..." She felt unsure about saying it, but she knew Grimmjow wouldn't think less of her for it and was definitely waiting to hear this. "I heard my younger sister's voice, Grimmjow. I heard her speak to me, yet I did not see her anywhere."   
"You sure?" She nodded.   
"That was definitely her voice, Grimmjow." He thought about this for a moment before speaking. 

"For now, try not to worry 'bout it, 'k? If it happens again, though, if ya hear 'er again, I'll see if we can't find 'er, 'k?" After Hibiki, he wasn't about to brush this off his shoulder as nothing. There was definitely a chance that she did hear her sister, but there was definitely a chance that she was simply hearing things, too, so he wasn't going to just assume one way or the other.   
"Alright. Thank you, Grimmjow." After a moment, she spoke again. "There's also something else I need to tell you."   
"'k." Ulquiorra looked down for a moment toward her stomach before biting at the bottom of her lip. She was sure it would surprise people to think that this was going to be the more difficult of the two matters to say, but she had to say it, had to tell him. 

"Grimmjow, I'm... I'm pregnant." She looked up at his now surprised expression. "I'm about a month along now with our child, Grimmjow."


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did do the search Grimmjow did for this, and I was also surprised to learn that not only is there a word for a baby's first movements, but that it's "quickening." Was more surprised by the word itself than that it exists, however.

"You... You're pregnant?" Ulquiorra nodded slowly while feeling completely nervous about this. What would he say? Is he mad? Does he want the child? "I... Holy shit..." 

"Grimmjow-" Ulquiorra found herself suddenly brought to his chest with his arms around her, surprising her.   
"That's great, Ulqui!" He gave a laugh. "This is great!" They were going to be parents! No, he thought, we _are_ parents! Even if it hasn't been born yet, it's there!   
"You're alright with this?" Grimmjow looked down at her, grinning.   
"Alright with this? _Hell_ , this is great news, Ulquiorra! I mean, c'mon, we're gonna have a kid! A li'l... Well, a li'l kid of our own!" They didn't know the gender, so can't really say which just yet. "It'll be our kid!" Ulquiorra gave a bit of a smile to this.   
"I'm so glad to hear you feel this way about it, Grimmjow." 

"Wait, anyone else know yet?" Grimmjow wanted others to know about this, yet he wasn't sure how he'd feel if it turned out Di Roy or Nakeem, Yuna or Yylfordt, if anyone else, really, got to know about this before him. This was all a first, after all.   
"Only Sival," she admitted, "since I wanted to make sure of it." She was the one with the sticks for checking, after all, that Ulquiorra had used one of.   
"Well then, besides Sival, I'm glad t' hear I'm first to know!" Grimmjow paused for a moment before curiously putting his hands on her stomach. "Any clue when it'll start kickin' an' all that?" If she was only a month in, he knew it wouldn't be doing that yet, but he still felt that he wanted to be able to do this, anyway, and be as close as he currently could be to it.   
"I'm not sure... We could look into that?" Grimmjow nodded before getting his cell phone from one of his jacket pockets to look into this. After a moment, he was connected to the internet and searched "when does the baby start to kick during pregnancy," which he searched that all mostly because it filled the rest in for him. "Huh." 

"What?"   
"There's actually a word for the baby's first movements," he commented, "'quickening'. Odd name." Sounded more like a word for speeding up, not for a baby moving.   
"That is odd," she agreed.   
"Anyway, says you should feel it between weeks sixteen an' twenty-five, but since this is yer first one, it's pretty much saying around the twenty-five week mark." How long is that, anyway? Counting in weeks wasn't exactly something that really seemed like a good way to do it, as far as Grimmjow was concerned. People usually count months, after all, and then tack on the remaining weeks.   
"A little bit into my sixth month, then." Grimmjow gave a whistle. 

"Damn." Looking forward to that, too, but six months in? She'd be nearly done with being pregnant by that point! "Says by th' second one, though, could feel 'em as early as thirteen weeks." Ulquiorra looked up at him questioningly.   
"You sound as though we have already decided to have a second one," she thought aloud, "despite the first only being a month in now." Grimmjow smirked.   
"C'mon, Ulqui! There are lots a couples who talk 'bout how many they want!" After saying this, he considered it for a moment. "Ya know, we haven't done that b'fore... How many 're we even thinkin' a havin'?" Ulquiorra's cheeks reddened while her eyes widened.   
"Th-That isn't something... I mean, that... Are you sure about this?" Grimmjow set his phone down before placing his arms around her.   
"Don't have t' talk about it now," he replied, amused. "Got other things t' worry 'bout first, like this one ya already got." With that in mind, Grimmjow was going to make sure he stuck around with Ulquiorra to help, along with tell everyone what's up. 

"And maybe sleep..." She leaned against him before closing her eyes. "Tired..."   
"Can lay in bed with ya for a while, then." He wasn't tired, but he wanted her with him when he started telling people. No rush.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up, six month skip

"Has anyone heard from him?"   
"No, nothing, Lieutenant." A disapproving "tch" came in response from the lieutenant before he started walking away from the division member, which he could hear ended up leading to whispering among those who were still there.   
"This isn't like him-"   
"I heard he left to-"   
"What could possibly have happened-"   
"I bet he's fine."   
"But wouldn't he be back-" 

"Hey!" The red-haired lieutenant stopped before turning to face those whispering, silencing all of them. "If you've got this much time to be chatting among yourselves like this," he snapped, "an' nothin' better t' do, then I'd suggest you get back to looking for him, now!" His brown eyes were fierce, covering the concern he wasn't voicing. "Well, what're you all waiting for, a written invitation? Move!" While they all scattered, a short brunette girl with dark blue eyes seemed to appear as if from nowhere beside him as a result of shunpo.   
"Anything, Renji?" Her voice sounded worried, something he wished he could rid her of. 

"No, but I'm sure we'll find him soon enough, Rukia."   
"What could possibly have happened?" She felt worried and conflicted, confused by this whole event. "This isn't like him..."   
"Dunno, but you're right," he agreed, "this definitely isn't like him." Renji considered everything they knew of for a moment before turning to head toward the division building.   
"Renji?"   
"I might have an idea about where to look next." There was a slim chance that this was right, but it was better than simply retracing their steps again. "Just need to find someone who knows the place to look it over." And he knew exactly who to send.


	25. Chapter 25

"Boss." Grimmjow looked toward the doorway of his and Ulquiorra's bedroom to see Yuna standing there, her usually calm eyes seeming more fierce than usual. With Ulquiorra seven months along now, he had been spending a considerable amount of his time within the base with her or out with her, leaving the tasks of watching borders and keeping up on other gangs to the rest of Panteras. "It's happened."   
"Right." As Yuna left, Ulquiorra looked to Grimmjow curiously, sitting beside him with her hand wearing her engagement ring in his hand. "Seems Aizen's officially a father now," he explained. "I made sure to have someone get in contact with a friend of theirs in Lobos territory t' keep track a that." Her emerald eyes went from calm to worried at this news.   
"What should we do?" She was in no condition for this, and Grimmjow didn't want to risk her safety with the possibility of Lobos attacking Panteras. 

"For now, we're keepin' track of that border. Any suspicious movement over there's gonna be reported to me immediately." It was December, so he was hoping Aizen might wait for better weather, what with how cold it was now and the fact of snow having begun to lightly coat the ground, though he was highly doubting weather would deter him.   
If Gin needed time to recover from the labor, however, then they definitely had a chance for more time. "If something happens over there, what will we do?"   
"Panteras will meet 'em at the border, then," he replied, "rather than wait for 'em to get through." If they decided to come before Ulquiorra was able to assist, then he was going to make sure Aizen didn't get to her.   
"I assume I would be remaining here, then, if they come too soon?" Grimmjow moved his hands to hold her shoulders.   
"We can't send ya home an' risk 'em goin' after ya," he explained, "not when we can keep ya here an' protect you." 

"Of course." She placed a hand on her stomach. "I do hope they don't decide to come too soon..."   
"Don't we all." Before she could reply, she heard a familiar voice.   
_"Ane..."_ Her eyes widened with surprise before she stood herself up quickly, startling Grimmjow.   
"Ulquiorra?"   
"I heard her again," she replied quickly before heading toward the doorway, "Asako!"   
"Hey, wait!" Grimmjow stood himself up to follow her, but it proved challenging to do so when there were so many members of Panteras within the main room of the base currently, which was mostly because of the cold outside. "Ulquiorra!" 

"Imoto-chan, matte kudasai!" Ulquiorra came to a sudden halt at the main entrance to the base, her emerald eyes becoming wide as she tried to understand what she was now looking at. "S... Sival..?"   
"Hello, Ulquiorra." Beside Sival was what looked like Asako, but with what looked like a jaw-like piece over her whole bottom jaw and three small teal-colored vertical lines under her left eye. She was wearing a long white dress with no sleeves to it, somehow seeming to be unaffected by the cold of the winter air. Her blue eyes seemed emotionless as they watched her confused, helpless older sister.   
"Ohayou, Ane." That just _had_ to be Asako. 

From where he was, Grimmjow couldn't help but notice people suddenly becoming more panicked around him, with some even pulling out weapons. "Boss!" When he looked toward Edrad, what the other was about to tell him was already beginning to be shouted by others around them.   
"What's she doing?!"   
"Sival's got a _gun_!"   
"Sival's turned _traitor_!" Sival?! 

"She was a hollow, Ulquiorra." Sival smirked. "Yes, I can see them, too. That jaw she has is the remnants of her hollow mask after Aizen decided to take her under his wing and lessen her hollow position into one more like a soul reaper's, to make her stronger." She put her thumb down on the pistol's hammer and pulled it down to ready the gun.   
"Imoto-chan..." Ulquiorra could feel a tear going down her cheek, but she didn't care. This was her younger sister, but Asako didn't seem to care about the situation before her, as if her older sister's life being in danger didn't bother her. "Asako... Why?" 

" _Ulquiorra!_ " Grimmjow's eyes widened as he heard the sound of a gunshot ringing out over the crowd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "matte kudasai" is "wait, please" in Japanese.   
> "Ohayou" is "good morning" in Japanese.


End file.
